FOCUS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE RYMAN PREMIER DIVISION

RYMAN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION 

current table - bottom eight only 

POS	TEAM	P	GD	PTS	PPG	FORM	WIN%	PTS DROPPED
17	BURGESS HILL TOWN	16	-2	18	1.13	DDWLWL	28.57%	24
18	LEATHERHEAD	18	-6	18	1.00	LLDLWW	22.22%	36
19	MERSTHAM	15	+5	17	1.13	LDLWDL	26.67%	28
20	CANVEY ISLAND	15	-14	16	1.07	LLDLWL	26.67%	29
21	HARROW BOROUGH	13	-5	15	1.15	LLWDWL	30.77%	24
22	HENDON	15	-13	15	1.00	LDWLLD	20.00%	30
23	MET POLICE	17	-15	13	0.76	LLWDWL	17.65%	38
24	GRAYS ATHLETIC	18	-25	11	0.61	LLLDLL	11.11%	43

It's still early days but with eighteen games played fans of Grays Athletic, who are currently stuck to the bottom of the table, will know if they end up finishing outside of the bottom four at the business end of the season they will have had a remarkable up turn in form. No two seasons are the same of course but if we look at the teams who finished in twentieth in 2015/16 and 2014/15 it's shows the measure of the task the Essex side have if they don't want to play in Division One (North) next campaign - Last season Needham Market finished 20th on 51 points from 46 games played which amounts to a PPG average of 1.11 and in 14/15 it was Tonbridge Angels on 52 points from 46 games. The 21st placed side were Peachaven and Telscombe who had 48 points so a total of 49 points who of secured 20th place amounting to a PPG average of 1.06 - Making it an average of 50 points to avoid relegation.. 

To get to this amount of points this season Grays Athletic would have to win 39 points from their remaining 28 games amounting to 1.39 PPG which is a considerable improvement on their season's total of 0.61. 

The high points of their season so far has been a 0-1 win at Worthing and a memorable 3-1 home win over Essex rival's Harlow Town. Off the pitch it's been their suppoter's group and enterprise the "Grays Athletic Community Football Club Ltd" who raised enough funds to purchase the club in August 2016. Lots of work is going on behind the scenes to secure the club a new stadium back in their home town. The last announcement was that a decision on the funding for a new school in the town will be made in March 2017 and if approved land could be developed and opened by September 2019 which could also lead to the relocation of the club as part of the 'Blackshots Sports Hub'. 

For a town the size of Grays with a population of over 30,000 to have no football ground (they have played outside of their home since 2010) we all know is going to be detrimental to the area so a new home will be brilliant - there is, of course, lots of hard work behind the scenes to be done yet.    


POINTS PER GAME COMPARISON 
shows ppg over the first eight games and their ppg since 

TEAM	PPG FIRST EIGHT	PPG*	DIFFERENCE
BURGESS HILL TOWN	1.25	1.33	+0.08
LEATHERHEAD	0.75	1.20	+0.45
MERTSHAM	1.13	1.14	+0.01
CANVEY ISLAND	1.13	1.00	-0.13
HARROW BOROUGH	1.00	1.40	+0.40
HENDON	1.25	0.71	-0.54
MET POLICE	0.38	1.11	+0.73
GRAYS ATHLETIC	0.75	0.50	-0.25

The above table shows only three (Grays Athletic, Hendon and Canvey Island) of the eight teams have a negative difference in ppg averages as the season develops - The Met Police have the most impressive improvement at +0.73. This coming Saturday there is a very important game for the bottom two as Grays visit the Met Police in a real relegation six pointer. 

The good thing for the sides at the bottom of the table is that there is only 14 points separating fifth placed Billericay Town and Grays Athletic so a good run of form will propel any side up the table and away from the danger zone. 

SATURDAY'S FIXTURES FOR THE BOTTOM EIGHT 
Canvey Island v Wingate and Finchley (13th) 
Harrow Borough v Kingstonian (11th) 
Leatherhead v Bognor Regis Town (1st) 
Leiston (4th) v Hendon 
Lowestoft Town (8th) v Burgess Hill Town 
Met Police (23rd) v Grays Athletic (24th) 
Staines Town (6th) v Merstham